Picking a Career Path

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I figure I should ask this here since I will be a male nurse. I have done EMS fro 5 years. I originally went to college and received a BA, not in nursing. I have since realized, working as a ER/Trauma tech that nursing is my passion. I have many options in pursuing that career. That first would be to get just my RN, the second would be to enter an accelerated BSN program, and the third would be to get my RN and go for a bridged RN to MSN/APN program. Any thoughts in what would be best for my future?

I'd pick the fastest and cheapest. Nursing isn't the kind of field where Harvard or a six year bachelor's degree is going to mean a lot. If you've got the license you're in. Now, if you've got any type of BSN you're in farther.

Quick and cheap my friend. If you want to be an APN focus on that. Get the boxes you need checked specifically for the program(s) you're interested in.

With regards to paramedic to RN programs, I considered this many years ago. Had the opportunity been more geographically accomodating I'd probably have followed up on it too. However, I stopped working as a paramedic in February 2006 and wouldn't function in that capacity again for any reason. My career is now law enforcement, but I'm working on a second bachelor's degree as well, and this new one is in nursing. I'll probably be a nurse, but I've been having second thoughts about that. At any rate, a paramedic could go on and learn things that nurses do quite readily. The focus of the programs are obviously different, but of at least a dozen paramedics I've spoken with they've all agreed medic school was hands down more difficult to master than nursing school. The devil child of nursing school is the constant bellyaching about how hard it is (really?) and the frivolous, petty assignments that instructors dole out. However, chronic disease management is not a role for paramedics, and medic school is quite deficient in that area. I've learned a lot with regards to how people live with diseases and conditions that go beyond the everyday disease like a cold and the emergent condition - those items most focused on in paramedic school. You could learn all of that in a paramedic to RN program, but I think you're not as well served. That could depend on the value of the faculty though. If they're good maybe they can convey all of it without you have to pick it up yourself. In hindsight, I think you're best served by doing both separately, and I'm not saying this as a champion for nursing school or a slam against medic school. I'm very neutral because as I said I wouldn't be a paramedic again, and I'm not jumping up and down about the chance of being a RN.

If you already have a bachelors you might as well just go straight for the BSN. Seems like a waste of time to go for the ADN when most BSN programs will accept applications from people that already have a bachelors in something else. If you plan on going to grad school don't even bother with the ADN.

I originally was going to get an ADN and then realized that with prereqs it was going to take 4 years anyway, so I just went straight for the BSN.

I'd suggest the 2nd-degree approach leading to a BSN or MSN. Some hospitals have a preference for the baccalaureate degrees. Particularly with your EMS experience, I'd do an accelerated program. I'd have found "unaccelerated" pace to be far too slow to hold my interest.

I graduated in 2008 with a BS in biology, worked for 2 years in EMS and decided to go through an accelerated program. Since you already have a bachelors, i wouldn't recommend going down to an ADN, especially since APN is your ultimate goal. I'm in Chicago, so there are a variety of accelerated nursing options for me here, so depending on where you are located there should hopefully be some options for you.

I want to add to this that nursing school and the idea that nursing teachers convey about nursing is nothing AT ALL like what you see nurses in the ER doing or acting. Nursing school is nauseating in the sense that it's unrealistic and idealist in nature.

I want to add to this that nursing school and the idea that nursing teachers convey about nursing is nothing AT ALL like what you see nurses in the ER doing or acting. Nursing school is nauseating in the sense that it's unrealistic and idealist in nature.

Mate the thing i suspect with nursing school is that they try and teach you how nursing should be done in theory, so when you do eventually practice you have the skills/knowledge and ability to do so when you graduate and start working. ER is also a high stress environment that has its own unique culture, but it doesnt mean that key nursing considerations cant be used.